Introduction to programming is a course based on teaching the main aspects of constructing code sequences, and applying them. We have seen a change in the way students react to programming the Boe-Bot and seeing the fruits of your labor on something tangible versus plain aimless programming on a computer.

One of the bests aspects for the students is that they get to interact with what they make/do. Before, students would program and stare at a monitor for long periods of time which became a drawn-out process. These kits give the student the opportunity to physically see the outcome of what they program or make, and they have become more engaged with what they learn and this results in better performance. The experience for the students as well as for myself has been very enriching. The students have been very motivated in solving the many different challenges and exercises they have been handed.

One of the main objectives of this course was to have the student physically see the results of their programming in action by way of the SumoBot kit. Many students commented that their learning experience was significant since they can see their errors and fix them in real time in such a simple way. Something worth mentioning is that the students began to naturally start to use their new skills to compete with each other and they would help any student that fell behind.

In the Introduction to programming course we use the Sumobot kits, Tank Tread kit, and the PING))) Ultrasonic Distance sensor for hardware. We also use manuals such as Robotics with the Boe-Bot v3.0, Whats a Microcontroller?, and SumoBot kit manuals. We also use Parallax code tutorials.

The best way to have the student learn is to have him/her take a hands-on approach, and these kits allow for that in a very simple way. This approach to building circuits and programming them and putting them into action is an effective way to have the student learn. We all must put in more effort in bringing robotics into a classroom since it creates an ideal environment for learning.

Panama is starting to get a firm grasp in teaching students “Introduction to Robotics” in schools and it is a tool that will revolutionize the way in which we educate our students, since it makes them more willing participants in their own learning experience with robotics making this class and kits the way to the future.